Learning Technology Services, a Unit of Learning & Information Technology
Using Camtasia Studio 7
With Camtasia Studio 7, you can produce mini-lectures, tutorials, course welcomes, study guides,
overviews and more. With Camtasia Studio 7, it is possible to record screen actions, PowerPoint,
webcam, and voice. You can also insert other media into the recordings you make. To get started,
you need to have an idea of what you wish to produce. Making a storyboard or a script may help.
When you open Camtasia, you may see this welcome
screen. If what you want to do is listed here, you can click
on it. Otherwise click the Close button.
One popular option is to record actions that happen on the computer
screen. To get started with this, click the Record the Screen drop
down menu and choose Record the screen.
After you choose Record the screen, Camtasia Recorder
opens and you see the program you had open before.
When the recorder opens, decide if you will record fullscreen or use a custom setting. A custom setting opens
a bounding box to choose a screen area to capture. You
must also decide if you want to capture your webcam and your audio, and set your audio level.
When you are satisfied with your selections, click on the red button.
After you click on the red button, you will get a short countdown
before the actual recording process starts.
Perform the screen actions necessary for your project and then
press F10 to stop or click the Stop button if it is visible. The
timer in this window shows the length of the recording.
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After you stop the recording, a window will open for
you to review the recording. Use the controls to rewind
and replay the movie if necessary. If you do not like
the results, you may delete the file and try again. If
you are satisfied, click on the Save and Edit button.
After you click on the Save and Edit button, a window will
open. Use this window to name and save your file. Make
a folder specifically for this project which will house all the
recordings and other media.
Once you click on the Save button, you will return to the Camtasia Studio work
area. You should see your clip in the Clip Bin. You should also see your clip
listed in the Timeline area at the bottom of the screen. If you do not see it there,
you can click and drag it into that area.
Now, import any other media that you intend to use as part of your project. Here
are the media types you may add:
• Video: .camrec, .avi, .mp4, .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, .mov*, .swf**
• Audio: .wav, .mp3, .wma
• Image: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .png
* Camtasia Studio does not support multiple tracks in .mov files.
** Only .swf files created from Jing or Camtasia Studio can be imported.
Depending on how many additional files you are adding, and what type of files,
you may need to open additional tracks in the Timeline. You can do this by going
to the Timeline area and clicking on the menu marker next to the word Tracks.
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There are several useful tools located at the top of the Timeline that will simplify the arrangement
and editing of your project:
• Undo/Redo enable you to undo and redo actions
• Cut enables you to cut selected portions of clips
• Copy enables you to copy selected portions of clips
• Paste enables you paste any cut or copied items
• Split enables you to split a clip into two pieces
• Zoom In/Out enables you to zoom in/out on the Timeline
• Timeline Tracks enables you to add or remove tracks.
• Playhead is used for selecting, cutting, copying, and splitting.
It also indicates the current frame in the Timeline.
• Time Indicator references the time within the video.
Here the red outpoint on the playhead has been moved to select a
portion of a clip to be cut, copied, or deleted. The portion highlighted
in blue is that part to be dealt with. However, the user does not want to
alter or cut any potion of the second audio track, so it has been locked.
You can lock or unlock any track by selecting the Lock or Unlock button
to the left of the track name. Any track not locked when an edit is made
will be affected by the edit, while any track that is locked will remain
unchanged. It is important to pay attention to which tracks are locked
and unlocked during the editing process.
While you can use the Timeline to edit clips, there are
additional tools on the toolbar over the timeline, which
can be useful. The default tool on this toolbar is the
Clip Bin. Here are the features of the other tools:
• Clip Bin holds all your recordings and other items for the current project.
• Library holds items for repeated use in multiple projects. You may add items to the Library.
• Callouts are items like arrows and text bubbles that can be filled with text to convey information.
• Zoom-n-Pan enables you to zoom in and out on one portion of a screen you have recorded.
• Audio enables you to fade in and fade out audio and adjust audio levels of different clips.
• Transitions are visual effects that you can add between clips in your project.
• Cursor Effects enable you to enlarge, highlight, or spotlight your cursor to draw attention to it.
• Title Clips enable you to add still images with text at the beginning of, end of, or between clips.
• Voice Narration enables you to record your voice while your project plays in the timeline.
• Record Camera enables you to record your webcam for a picture-in-picture (PIP) in the project.
• Picture-in-Picture enables you to enhance the PIP video by changing location, size, opacity, or by hiding.
• Captions enable you to add text captions to your project.
• Quizzing enables you to add a quiz or survey to your video. This feature is not integrated with
D2L, so quiz results from this feature cannot be imported into your Learn@UW-Stout gradebook.
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While working with your project, save it periodically. Do this by going to the File menu and choosing
Save. Save your project in the .camproj file format, which should be the default. The .camproj format
is not usable by anyone that does not have Camtasia. For this reason, you must also produce your
project so that it can be shared to others.
Uploading Camtasia Files to Learn@UW-Stout
Uploading the proper files to Desire2Learn will enable your students to see the files with a controller
so they can pause and replay the file as many times as needed. These are the steps to follow after
assembling your project in Camtasia.
When you are finished editing your project in Camtasia, and
you have saved it, click on Produce and Share.
After you do this, the Production Wizard window will open. In
this window, find and choose the option that says Custom Production
Settings. After you choose it, click on the Next button.
You may also select “Web” for this operation, but the custom
controller is more user-friendly.
In the next window, check the radio button for Recommended
Flash (MP4/FLV/SWF) Adobe Flash Output. After you select
this radio button, click on the Next button.
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In the Flash Templates window that opens you need to choose the
way you want your project to appear when it is produced. If you
are unsure, you may ask an LTS staff member to assist you. After
you choose the appearance, click on the Flash Options button.
In the Flash Options window, check the radio button in the
format area for MP4, unless one of the other two options
is more suited to your needs. After you do this, click the
OK button. After you click the OK button, click the Next
button in the Flash Templates window.
In the Video Options window, you may add a watermark and
copyright information if you wish to do so. Click on the Next
button.
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In the Produce Video window that opens, give your project a name.
Also, be certain to choose a folder that will be easy for you
to locate. It should also be a folder that does not contain files
from another Camtasia project that you have completed. Check
the boxes for Show Production Results and Play Video after
Production. When you are ready, click the Finish button.
After you click the Finish button, your project will go through the rendering
process.
When the rendering process is complete, you will see the
completed video. After viewing the video, you may close the browser
window where the video is playing.
When you close the browser window, you should see the production
results window. This will give a list of files that were created as
part of producing your project. It is important to double-check the
location of these files, as you will need them when putting your
project into Learn@UW-Stout.
If you make several projects to put into your course, you should
store each project and its files in a separate folder. You should
also adopt a naming convention to identify which project you are
using or working with when loading files into your Learn@UW-Stout
course.
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Login in to your Learn@UW-Stout course as an instructor and go to the Content
area. From within the Content area, click on Manage Files.
Once you are in the manage files area, create a
new folder and name it according to the naming
convention you have created.
With the new folder open, click on the Upload button.
Browse to the location of the files that were created and
add them to the list of files to be uploaded. You do not
need to upload the file that starts with the name of your
production file and ends with “nofp_bg.gif.” All other files
in your local folder should be added to the list. When the
list is complete, click the Upload button.
Return to the Manage Content area and select
the module in which you want to place the content.
Next, click the Add Topic button.
When the Content Source window opens, click on
the Course File link.
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In the next window, enter the long and short
titles for the new topic. After doing this, click
on the Browse button.
In the Select a File window, open the folder where you
have stored the files and check the radio button for
the HTML file in the folder. Next, click the Select File
button.
When you return to the Properties window, you
will see a message in the Content area saying
your browser must have javascript enabled and
have the latest version of Flash Player installed
on your computer. Your students will also need to
have javascript and the latest version of Flash
Player. Click the Save button.
After you have clicked the Save button, click on the View Content
link. You should see the file listed in the area you chose for posting.
Click on the file to play it.
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Click on the file name to play it. There should be
controls for playing, pausing, and stopping with a
slider for rewind and fast forward.
(Just a few) possible instructional uses for Camtasia projects:
• Course welcome
• Mini-lectures
• Tutorials
• New material overview
• Review of concepts presented in class
• Screen captures of software processes
• Video clips with narration
• Course announcements
To receive training in the use of Camtasia Studio 7, please contact Learning Technology Services at
715-232-4042. Learning Technology has Camtasia Studio 7 installed on the computers in the faculty
lab in Millennium Hall.
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